Monday, June 23, 2008

Earlier this year, I was hunting for a “Tarte au Sucre” recipe that is part of the cooking school curriculum I'm working through as a self-directed study. At first I thought all I had to do was pull out the sugar pie recipe that’s common at Christmas time with French Canadians. I was disappointed to find out that the Tarte au Sucre I was being asked to make was a yeasted cake, like brioche with a sugar topping. Not even close to the French Canadian version!

When Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess, who launched the popular Sugar High Friday blogging event, announced that she was hosting this month and that the theme was Canadian sweets, I knew I had to participate. I also knew I had a chance to make Sugar Pie, the Canadian version (my take on it!). I took some liberties with the traditional recipe. Mine has Dulce de Leche, as if it weren't sweet enough already! I also had to throw in a touch of maple syrup, since it's made just 45 minutes from my home!

This pie is more often than not served as a tart, but I added a little whiff of pastry on top to keep its pie delineation. The addition of flour is debated, and I’m sure my flavoring additions will be hotly debated by traditionalists, but I have taste testers who will back me up saying it was delicious! However, they are not French Canadian and it was their first taste of sugar pie. Here’s a great article for some more information about sugar pie.

Earlier this month, I’d read about pie in jars. I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to use this brilliant idea. Megan from Not Martha got the idea from Amy at Angry Chicken who got the idea from Mariko at Super Eggplant who saw it on Etsy and things went viral from there. LloydandLauren also made frozen mudslide pies in jars. I love it!

For the pastry: Put all the ingredients on the counter. Blend with your fingers. Add drops of water until it comes together into a ball. Press a small ball into each jar. Chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. (Save some pastry dough for the top.)

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Pre-bake the shells until they’re golden, about 8-10 minutes. Cool.

For the filling: In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, flour, evaporated skim milk, and heavy cream. Whisk constantly until thick. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg. Dulce de Leche, and maple syrup. Let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Pour the filling into the pre-baked shells. Top with a bit of pastry cut into a shape. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with ginger-flavored whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Tasting NotesThis is a rich, sweet dessert. Some like it with vanilla ice cream and some with whipped cream and some unadorned. It’s delicious in small doses, and especially fun to eat with a spoon from a jar!

If you would like to join me as I cook my way through a cooking school curriculum, send me an email with "Whisk Wednesdays" in the subject line. I'd love to have your help, feedback, and input! Click HERE for more info!

Very cute -- and the little jar is a nice idea for a rich dessert, not to mention making the presentation extra-special. There's just something about getting your own wee little jar or ramekin that makes a treat even nicer.